Passion is the foundation of a strong business, and for Jon Flaherty following his passion was critical in order to find success.
He mentions, “Do what you’re passionate about—which is something I didn’t do at first, I have to admit. But truly, that’s what leads to success and happiness. This almost always involves taking chances, and talented people can sometimes be too risk averse, but it really is key when it comes to moving towards a meaningful experience of your working life.”
Today, Jon is the CEO of Revolent Americas, a cloud talent creation firm, and is one of the pioneers in the tech space. In this Exclusive Interview, Jon Flaherty talks about his long journey from videogames to entrepreneurship.
What according to you makes one an innovative leader? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?
Innovation requires vision, clear goals, and focus. As the saying goes, talk is cheap—whiskey costs money. So, while ideation and design can lead to a multitude of exciting ideas, what matters is the 1% of them that you can actually pursue and execute. From there, staying focused on the specific goals you’re pursuing is vital.
Successful innovation also means being flexible and remembering that no rule applies all the time. And it’s important to empower your team to make decisions because, like scaling a business, you can’t innovate solely as an individual.
Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as a leader / entrepreneur that you can remember?
I got into tech work pretty early! I can remember working as a SysOp of a bulletin board at 11 years old and running a computer repair business when I was in eighth grade. It was called Helping Hand Computers and I made about $20 an hour which was incredible at the time. I also did web design back then.
What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the technology space?
For me it was video games. I didn’t have a Nintendo, but I did have a Commodore 64 computer and I remember having to manage its memory to be able to run the games on it. Later on, I got into the more creative side of things, programming my own games, and studying AI in college.
Talk to us about Revolent and its approach in ensuring optimal client satisfaction?
Our number one value is trust and our number two value is customer success. To ensure our customers are successful, we do a couple of things that I believe are unique to us at Revolent.
Our Deployment Readiness Program, which includes activities like tech tests and real-life projects, is designed to equip our clients with experienced cloud specialists who have both the hard and soft skills to make their projects successful.
And our Revol Success Program focuses on long-term support for Revols. This includes regular check-ins, additional certification pathways, personal development planning and a designated Career Development Coach. We also take in client feedback regularly, so that we can respond effectively to industry shifts and the ever-changing needs of a client’s business.
As the Americas CEO of Revolent, what role do you play in the day-to-day proceedings of the company?
The way I look at my role is that I need to cover the breadth of the business while being able to go deep where necessary. I oversee the relative health of every aspect of the business which includes sales, talent acquisition, and customer success. Keeping that overview in mind, I then calibrate depth based on where it’s required. I believe in giving people plenty of space and then I dig in wherever I’m needed. So, it’s about identifying issues and then focusing there—that’s where I like to be. I have direct experience in most aspects of the business, so getting more involved wherever I’m needed also keeps things interesting for me.
Looking back at your journey, what would you have done differently if you were to start again?
Career-wise, I’m not sure I would change anything because then I wouldn’t be where I am now. I might have made some career moves more quickly when it wasn’t a great culture fit, or where it wasn’t something, I was truly passionate about. But I’ve learnt and grown at every stage, and that has absolutely informed where I am today.
What would be your advice for young and aspiring leaders in today’s tech-driven world?
Do what you’re passionate about—which is something I didn’t do at first. But truly, that’s what leads to success and happiness. This almost always involves taking chances, and talented people can sometimes be too risk-averse, but it drives both success and fulfilment in what you’re doing.
I also recommend seeking out people who are smarter or more experienced than you. Collaborate, tune into advice and mentorship, and don’t shy away from asking questions. These are the kinds of relationships that hone your skills and knowledge, as well as your sense of what moves and motivates you.
I have some book recommendations, too! It’s a classic, but Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends And Influence People is great for just about every human being, and very applicable to the business world. People who are early in their career frequently ask me how to get promoted, and for this I recommend Donald Asher’s Who Gets Promoted, Who Doesn’t, And Why which really gives you an outside-in perspective on performance.
Finally, what does the future look like for Revolent ? On a personal front, where do you see yourself standing in the coming years?
We’re really only just getting started. There’s a huge market opportunity to grow right now—there are 3.2 million cloud talent roles that remain unfilled every year. We don’t expect to fill every position out there, but we’re popular with our channel partners because we’re solving the talent gap by creating talent rather than just moving people around between companies and organizations.
The traditional recruitment model doesn’t address the wider problem within the sector but supporting the development of experienced recruits and recruiting from a wider range of backgrounds are concrete steps towards solving it. We’re already a leader in the cloud space because our model of cross-training experienced tech talent is unique, so the future looks good and I’m excited to be part of that longer-term paradigm shift.
About Jon Flaherty
Jon is a Technology and Operations executive with over 20 years of experience building, world-class teams, delivering customer success, and driving growth. He previously worked at PolSource—a platinum Salesforce SI—where he built the US team from the ground up to become one of the fastest growing and significant partners in the ecosystem. Jon has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Grinnell College and graduated top of his class with an MBA from Northwestern.
At Revolent—a cloud talent creation firm, Jon is helping to meet the growing business need while ensuring the best industry-led training for the company’s Revols and the highest level of customer service for their growing client list in the US and beyond. He is also a member of the Forbes technology council.
Contact Jon Flaherty on LinkedIn.
